Invasive Species

M. Spencer Green/Associated Press

News about invasive species, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 10, 2015

New York State Environmental Conservation Dept releases revised plan to reduce invasive mute swan population that emphasizes nondeadly control measures but would still allow killings of the birds. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Donovan Hohn First column describes how reversal of Chicago River, long considered triumph of engineering, is now known to be responsible for contaminating bodies of water to the south with invasive species; notes that it is one of many engineering projects, like dams and draining of wetlands, that country is now trying to reverse in order to improve environment. MORE

Dec. 26, 2014

Op-Ed article by writer Gabriel Popkin laments that wild hemlocks in the Eastern states have become infested with deadly insect called hemlock wooly adelgid; says insect is destroying the trees and making way for growth of other trees that will replace hemlocks entirely; notes due to costly method of eradicating insect, cities and parks may become the only places hemlocks thrive. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Op-Ed article by science writer Juli Berwald points out the Suez Canal, in addition to hosting 10 percent of world's shipping traffic, is a major conduit for invasive species into the Mediterranean; warns expansion of canal by Egypt is proceeding without any environmental review whatsoever. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Southern pine beetles, spotted in Long Island in late September, appear to be moving northward as result of warmer winters; scientists are concerned that the insects, which lay eggs inside pine trees to steal nutrients, may wreak havoc on pines in the area. MORE

Sep. 30, 2014

Asian long-horned beetle, believed to be eradicated in New York metropolitan area, has made a comeback; federal and state Agriculture Departments have boosted staffing to 119 people to track, kill and eradicate the beetle from its remaining strongholds in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island; workers will start removing tree species that are habitats for the insects. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Cerro Sombrero Journal; Chilean government-sanctioned culling of the guanaco, wild cousin of the llama, in Chile's portion of Tierra del Fuego draws opposition from animal rights activists and tourism officials; Chilean authorities allowed as many as 4,125 to be killed in 2014 alone. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Florida officials are banning import of lionfish, which over three decades have become the most numerous marine nonnative invasive species in world; are encouraging spearfishing competitions to cull their numbers; lionfish evade more traditional means of capture and are wreaking havoc on delicate coral reefs and fish stocks. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

Persicaria perfoliata, invasive plant known as mile-a-minute weed, is spreading over large swaths of Northeastern United States, threatening native ecosystems; several groups of scientists and landowners in Connecticut are trying various techniques to contain it. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Study in journal Ecology reports that invasive species known as bigheaded ant is killing off native ants in Eastern Africa, leading to dire consequences for acacia trees, which native ants protect; native ants fend off hungry elephants and giraffes by biting and stinging them when they try to eat the trees. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Lizard known as Argentine black and white tegu is growing problem in Florida's Everglades, finding their way into natural environment after being imported as pets; invasive species has no natural predators in Florida and is in turn preying on native species. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Authorities in Arizona are eager to get rid of the tamarisk trees, which are not native to the state and which they say suck too much water; they welcome the tamarisk beetle, the tree's natural predator, which were released in Colorado about a decade ago and have traveled now to Arizona; scientists say removing the trees will not produce more water, and warn that birds living in them will be harmed; plus, once the beetles are done eating tamarisk leaves, they are likely to feed on other trees. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Ecologists are weighing consequences of destruction of ash forests from Minnesota to New York by emerald ash borer, an invasive Asian beetle with ability to withstand harsh winters; hope of winning battle against beetle is fading, opening up possibility of rippling effect through forest ecosystems, both urban and wild, throughout Midwest and Northeast. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers question about the protection of wild horses, despite fact that horses are an invasive species. MORE

Mar. 22, 2014

Vanessa Barbara Op-Ed article notes American red-eared slider turtles, species native to southern United States, have become one of 100 worst invasive species in the world; says turtles' spread is being fueled by international trade and owners who release them into wild once they become too large to keep as pets. MORE

Mar. 12, 2014

Cancale Journal; entrepreneur Pierrick Clement is hoping to market Atlantic slipper shell, invasive species of snail that has overtaken Mont Saint-Michael Bay in France, as culinary delicacy; fishermen and residents of nearby Cancale are viewing plan with mixture of relief and disgust. MORE

Feb. 25, 2014

New York biologist Daniel P Molloy has discovered bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A, that appears to kill invasive Quagga and zebra mussels species without harming other organisms; New York State has awarded license to Davis, Calif, company Marrone Bio Innovations to develop commercial formulation of bacterium. MORE

Feb. 18, 2014

Op-Ed column by Prof Hugh Raffles warns the Department of Environmental Conservation will soon implement plan to kill New York State's entire population of mute swans in misguided attempt to protect wetlands; argues birds represent a benign nonnative species whose beauty outweighs any threat it poses to humans or the environment. MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation proposes declaring mute swans 'prohibited invasive species' and sets goal to eliminate virtually all 2,200 in state by 2025; officials say swans, state’s largest birds hurt water quality and threaten people and airplanes. MORE

Jan. 14, 2014

The Week column; scientists are hoping that spate of cold weather will be severe enough to kill invasive insect species like hemlock woolly adelgid and the southern pine beetle, which have weakened forests from New Jersey to Connecticut; such species die when temperature dips far enough below zero; other significant developments in science and medicine noted. MORE

Jan. 9, 2014

Entomologists are welcoming below-zero temperatures as a good way to rid New York Metro region of some invasive insects threatening treasured local tree and plant species. MORE

Jan. 7, 2014

Army Corps of Engineers says most effective methods of keeping Asian carp from invading Great Lakes via Chicago's web of waterways could cost up to $18.4 billion and take 25 years to put in place; cautions that there is no guarantee that carp of other unwanted species would not get into lakes by then. MORE

Jan. 5, 2014

Scientists are confronting evidence that Asian carp may have arrived in Great Lakes after decades of warnings and efforts to keep invasive species out; scant evidence remains inconclusive. MORE

Jan. 2, 2014

Earth scientist and nature enthusiast Paul Zweng is attempting to return 1,443 acre plot of land in Hawaii's Waikane Valley to its native state, before invasive plants and animals arrived in Hawaiian islands. MORE

Dec. 24, 2013

Report from the Army Corps of Engineers finds that fish are capable of crossing an electrical barrier designed to keep Asian carp from using the Chicago ship canal to enter the Great Lakes. MORE

Dec. 8, 2013

Invasive species of ant, called crazy ants, has infested many parts of Texas and has managed to thrive due to lack of federal response, despite pleas from residents and exterminators who are battling the infestations. MORE

Nov. 20, 2013

Op-Ed article by scientist David Strayer and scholar John Waldman warns that the invasive grass carp, which have begun reproducing in Lake Erie, are posed to disrupt the ecology of the Hudson River and New York's other inland waters; calls for plan that maximizes benefits of the Erie Canal while minimizing risks from the spread of invasive species. MORE

Sep. 28, 2013

Op-Ed article by high school senior Anna Hitchcock recalls her experience studying the impact of invasive plant species on forest health during internship with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; draws comparison between the complexities of conservation and ancient Tibetan art form known as the mandala, which symbolizes impermanence and flux. MORE

Sep. 8, 2013

Editorial underscores difficulty of determining whether a species is native or nonnative to its environment, in light of efforts by San Franciscans who are protesting proposal to thin the dense eucalyptus forest on Mount Sutro; contends the distinction between the two categories hardly matters, given the way climate change is altering the world. MORE

Aug. 21, 2013

New York City is about to unleash some 5,000 Asian weevils in several parks to attack a prolific vine that poses a threat to native plants and trees; beetles, each roughly the size of a sesame seed, are part of broad strategy to combat the relentless mile-a-minute vine, which has invaded parks and forests from North Carolina to Massachusetts and as far west as Ohio. MORE

Jul. 25, 2013

Federal plan for keeping Asian carp from reaching valuable fish populations of Great Lakes calls for reinforcing electrical and other barriers and for field-testing other methods; with 2013 spending, Obama administration will have devoted $200 million over four years to keeping lakes carp-free. MORE

Apr. 30, 2013

The northern snakehead, an invasive, predatory fish that can live on land in the right conditions, has been spotted in the Harlem Meer in Central Park. MORE

Apr. 28, 2013

Feral pigs are moving north into states like Michigan, New Hampshire and New York;, pushing officials in states unfamiliar with the animals to ways to deal with a damaging and dangerous invasion; population of wild swine has risen to six million, with established populations in 38 states; swine are thought to have spread largely from escaping private shooting preserves and during illegal transport across state lines. MORE

Mar. 23, 2013

New Jersey declares victory in eradicating the Asian long-horned beetle following an 11-year battle, during which 20,000 trees were removed. MORE

Oct. 6, 2012

Rep Dave Camp says Army Corps of Engineers will not meet legal deadline for completing plan to prevent Asian carp from invading Great Lakes, and that he plans to hold corps accountable. MORE

Sep. 8, 2012

United States and Canada sign an accord to protect the Great Lakes, the world's largest freshwater system, from major threats including water pollution and invasive species. MORE

Jul. 31, 2012

Biologists are considering using a fungus referred to as the 'black fingers of death' to curb the spread of cheatgrass, the most invasive plant species in the country; cheatgrass has eliminated large concentrations of native flora in the West and may be contributing to the increased rate of wildfire there. MORE

Jun. 22, 2012

New York City Parks Dept is enlisting 20 goats to help fight phragmites, invasive weed choking the Staten Island shoreline; officials are counting on the goats to clear phragmites from two acres of wetlands that will eventually be restored and made a part of Freshkills Park. MORE

May. 9, 2012

Obama administration officials say a new timetable developed by the Army Corps of Engineers should speed up the search for a permanent way to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasive species. MORE

Apr. 17, 2012

Study in journal The American Naturalist finds that warming summers have allowed mountain pine beetles to begin reproducing twice a year instead of once, causing an enormous population boost, and devastation to millions of trees across the United States. MORE

Apr. 8, 2012

New federal rule will require oceangoing freighters entering American waters to install onboard treatment systems to filter and disinfect their ballast water, in an effort to keep ships from bringing in unwanted invasive species. MORE

Mar. 20, 2012

Editorial observes that visitors to Antarctica, some 33,000 per season, are inadvertently introducing invasive plant species to one of the world's most pristine places by means of spores and other reproductive matter that sticks to their clothes; notes that human beings, by their very nature, have altered patterns of global biodiversity since they first evolved. MORE

Mar. 17, 2012

United States Coast Guard announces that oceangoing cargo ships will be required to treat ballast water before dumping it in US waters; rule is intended to prevent the introduction of invasive species that damage the environment and cause billions of dollars in economic losses. MORE

Feb. 28, 2012

Supreme Court refuses to order emergency measures requested by Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that might prevent the invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. MORE

Jan. 18, 2012

Interior Sec Ken Salazar announces a ban on imports of four snake species after years of unsuccessful efforts to eradicate the giant snakes from Everglades National Park in Florida and other areas. MORE

Dec. 31, 2011

Scientists are trying to discern whether an underwater cannon can protect valuable fish in the Great Lakes from the round goby, a predator that lurks near spawning beds; experiment is part of the increasingly sophisticated war against invasive animals and plants that costs the nation’s economy billions of dollars each year. MORE

Dec. 21, 2011

Officials in the Great Lakes states remain divided on how to deal with increasing threat from the Asian carp, an invasive species with the potential to upend the lakes' ecosystem; some states, led by Michigan, have filed legal actions aimed at ending access from the tributaries of the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes, while others argue that the plan will interfere with flood control and commercial waterway traffic. MORE

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